Did your Britt make you laugh today? Did he do something so smart, you are blown away? Those puppy teeth causing you to tear up, and you need an outlet? Or do you want to post a picture of his or her latest point? This is the place for it!

For the past two or three years it seems that an unusual number of Britts on this website have gone to the Rainbow Bridge. As my dog got older I dreaded the time when I would have to make that decision. I adopted Jiggs on D Day in 2004 when he was 17 months old. He had at least 3 or more homes before I adopted him. He was not a bad dog at all but a typical Brittany. I never understood why he had such a rocky start but I assumed that he had impatient owners. In the summer of 2016 he had a tumor removed from his lung as well as having lp surgery. He seemed to have recovered fully recovered and seemed to be doing fine. This past spring he had a couple of vestibular dysfunction episodes but that seemed to go away. In May his blood tests revealed some numbers outside normal ranges and it was discovered that he had a tumor on his liver and possible kidney disease. Ironically his liver ALT numbers were within normal range. In addition he had lost alot of weight. He slowed down but he seemed not to be in any pain and he seemed to enjoy being by my side. I knew that his days were numbered and I cherished every day with him. This past Saturday at about 5 AM he took a fall at my vacation home in northeast PA. I rushed him to an emergency vet 50+ miles away and Xrays revealed that his hips were badly deteriorated and the vet said one hip was dislocated and beyond repair. Obviously I had no choice but to put him to sleep. Obviously like everyone else on this board who has gone through this, it has left a terrible void. I am hoping to adopt another Brit in the near futurewhich along with time might partially soften the pain of his loss. Since I adopted him 13 years I have been a daily reader of this ABR website and it has been a great source of information to me and I appreciate the comments from the may participants.

UGH ... every time I read another one of these stories I get sad all over again... For you and for everyone else that has ever lost a dog. Yes, this has happened way more times in the last few years it seems. I am truly sorry for your loss but especially for that "void" I know you feel tremendously. It's never easy losing your pet and never will be, despite the fact that you know their days are limited. I know another Brittany will be in your future and that will help to ease the pain, but Jiggs will be in your heart forever. Hang in there.

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Sounds like it was Jiggs' time but that does not make the decision any easier. I do know how hard that decision is and how empty life feels afterwards. My sympathy to you.

oh- I am so sorry...unfortunately, I know how you feel...a void is a good way to describe it...and as people have said, no matter how much you know it is their time, and no matter how much you know that losing them is inevitable, it tears your heart out every time Know that Jiggs knows how much you loved him, and that he loved you back just as much, and that love will always be with you both!

When these posts of transition arrive I am always suddenly thrust back in time, reminded of the many dogs that became such a significant part of my travels through this life. And so I’ve become adept at following that first jerk at my heart with opening up the treasure trove I have collected as the beneficiary of some very special gifts from each of these dogs, memories, treasures worth more than gold. At the top of the list of these “gifts” is my having been the recipient of pure and unconditional devotion and companionship from another sentient being. I wander down memory lane, treasure list in hand, and recall all the best of each encounter……and so I arrive once again back to the realization that I’ve lost each physical presence, but my treasure trove is full of rare gifts from each dog. These memories I choose to dwell upon and not let my heart be weighed down by the loss of presence.

Perhaps the finest tribute to Jiggs’ memory would be the arrival of another dog into your life, a dog different probably in many ways, but who would continue the legacy of giving love, devotion and friendship, in such a way as only dogs can do.

I hope this train of thought is not intrusive, but rather consoling and helping to suggest a means to ease your present sense of despair. Time will do that eventually, but for now know that we all wish for you a brave heart.

I would like to express my appreciation for the kind comments upon the passing of my Brit. They gave me some comfort during a difficult time. I hope I am not barred from the Brittany community for what happened next. There is a saying that when God closes one door, He opens another door. That is what happened for me. I had my heart set on adopting another Brittany and I actually submitted an application to ABR for a particular dog. A day or two afterward I was reviewing Petfinder and I noticed that there seemed to be scarcity of available Brittanies. I came across an English Setter who was in a shelter about 40 miles north of NY City. I inquired about his availability and on Saturday afternoon, November 18th they replied that he was still available and the shelter would re-open on Sunday at 1 PM and that dogs were available on a first come basis provided my references etc. checked out. I arrived at the shelter grounds at 11 AM and the first thing I noticed was the volume of cars that were parked there 2 hours before opening. I drove further into the facility and I came across the English Setter in a large open kennel with his tail wagging a mile a minute. Since it was 2 hours before opening I decided to go get some coffee. It was then that I thought that the parked cars may have been potential adoptees. I was determined to get that Setter. I went back at 11:30 AM and waited outside the office door to make sure that I was first on line. I didn't realize until later that the parked cars belonged to the shelter volunteers who walked the dogs. They must have had 5 volunteers for each dog. The person in the office felt sorry for me, asked if he could help and gave me an application which I gave back to him along with my Brit's vet records. Two minutes later he came out and stamped my application "approved". I got the dog even before the shelter officially opened. A bunch of volunteers then came by to say good-bye to what was obviously their favorite dog.I named him "Jiggs" after my departed Brit. He is a 3 -4 yr old Field Setter weighing 48 lbs and imported from Turkey. He has black ears and a black patch over his right eye. The rest of his body is covered by black freckles and black ticking similar to a roan pattern on a Brittany. He is extremely friendly. A week after I got him I took him to a dog run in Brooklyn. I was anxious to see him run. Unfortunately he was more interested in greeting people and he wound up sitting on a park bench next to an old Russian woman with a walker. On a negative note he has had some housebreaking issues along with being submissive and possible separation anxiety. Over the past two weeks he has improved on all counts and he has gained greater confidence. I am hoping that his negative behaviour may be attributable to his drastic change in living arrangements. Right now he is fast asleep next to me on the couch. Even though I no longer have a Brit, I intend to continue following the ups and downs of the Brits on the ABR website. I am sure that I will continue to stop the car when I see someone walking a Brit. Hopefully I win the lottery and buy a house with a big yard and then I'll get a Brit to accompany my English Setter. In the future I hope to figure out how to post his photo. Thanks again!

PS: Barb Wright: I remember when you posted from Alaska and then from Arizona. I didn't realize that you are now in Idaho.

I am soooooooo happy for you and the adoption of Jiggs the Second! I can't imagine a dogless home so am glad you found a canine to have by your side and it doesn't matter whether it's a Britt or an English Setter It's funny that you chose a English Setter though ... we take our dogs to this giant dog park several times a week. It's very under utilized but there are probably 20 or so "regulars." Over the years we've met everyone and have befriended an older man (in his 80s) with Maddie, an English Setter that seems to match the description of Jiggs. She's a gorgeous dog, super friendly, and spectacular to watch in the field. I've said to the owner right from the beginning that "should anything ever happen to him, we'd take Maddie in a heartbeat even though she has a tail. " So you never know but we could end up with an English Setter too!! You obviously know that this group accepts ALL dogs and the knowledge you have about Brittanys will probably serve you well with a setter. So don't go away, figure out how to post pictures (I use https://imgur.com/ but you need to create an account to get the right BBC forum code to post), and keep us posted. Congratulations!!

Congratulations! I am a strong believer that things are sometimes just "meant to be" and dogs find us just as much as we find them...The important thing is that you found each other and love abounds!Please let us know how things are going...not surprised that Jiggs' behavior is settling as he is learning he is staying put with you

Congrats to you for opening your heart and home to a Jiggs 2! Let us know how he does with his issues but my guess is you will see a changed dog in six weeks span. That was the way it was with our foster dogs.

I loved the story about how you got J2. I laughed when you said it was because you were afraid they were potential adopters so you camped out.

On a side note, our Brittany Scout (RIP) was a beautiful big boy and people not familiar with Brittanys often asked if he was a setter.